Americana Sound King David Bromberg Calls His Own Shots

David Bromberg

October 22, 2013|By ERIK OFGANG, Special To The Courant, The Hartford Courant

In the 1970s and 1980s David Bromberg says there wasn't a name for the style of music he played.

"Back in the day I was doing really well but the record companies never knew where to put my records, what bin, what kind of music is this?" recalls Bromberg , who plays a combination of blues, folk, rock, and country. "Well, these days there's a name for it, they call it Americana or roots music. If those names had been around then, they could have made a bin and put me in it, but I don't know who else would have been in it."

The rise in popularity of Americana music might have something to do with Bromberg's recent success. His 2007 album "Try Me One More Time" was nominated for a Grammy. He followed that up with the 2011 album "Use Me" that saw him collaborating with Dr. John, Levon Helm, Widespread Panic, and others. In September he released "Only Slightly Mad," which features guest appearances by John Sebastian and John McEuen of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

He'll be performing with his band on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 8 p.m. at Infinity Hall in Norfolk. Pop rock singer songwriter Paul Guzzone will open.

The biography on Bromberg's website states that "he's played with everyone, he's toured everywhere," and that's no exaggeration, or at least not much of one. A self-proclaimed "hired gun" Bromberg played recording sessions with Bob Dylan, The Eagles, Ringo Starr, Willie Nelson and Carly Simon, among many others.

After a successful and unexpected solo spot at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival in Great Britain, Bromberg signed a solo record deal with Columbia Records. His 1971 debut album featured the hit "Suffer to Sing the Blues" and "The Holdup" which was a songwriting collaboration between him and George Harrison. Jerry Garcia played on Bromberg's next two albums.

Despite his success Bromberg refused to be pigeonholed into one musical style and continued to march to the beat of a different drummer, or in his case strum to the rhythm of a different guitar.

"I've never seen any reason why I shouldn't play any damn tune I want to play," he says.

In 1980 he got fed up with the craziness of the music industry and dissolved his band.

"I stopped playing for 22 years. I got burnt out from working too much," he says. But he didn't leave the world of music behind. Instead he moved with his wife Nancy Josephson to Chicago, to study at the Kenneth Warren School of Violin Making.

In 2002 Bromberg and his wife moved to Wilmington, Del., and Bromberg established David Bromberg Fine Violins, a retail store and repair shop for high quality instruments.

"I spent four years learning to build violins, then a lot more time, more than 18 years, learning to identify them which is what I enjoy doing. People bring me violins and say 'What is it? What's it worth?' That's the stuff I like to do," he says.

In the early 2000s Bromberg began to explore the idea of recording again. Though he's returned to the music industry, he continues to call his own shots/tunes.

"I've never in my life had a set list. The show changes every night, we do whatever I like, whenever I like to do it, it's a wonderful world for me," he says.

Bromberg's new album, "Only Slightly Mad," was recorded at the late Levon Helm's studio in Woodstock, N.Y. For the album Bromberg combined his band with former members of Helm's band. The album features Bromberg's signature mix of styles and includes blues, bluegrass, gospel, folk, country, Irish fiddle tunes, and English drinking songs. It also features the wit and humor Bromberg is often noted for. This wit is especially noticeable on the blues infused number "I'll Take You Back," which sees Bromberg promising a former love "when water ain't wet and congress pays off the national debt, I'll take you back."

Bromberg says people don't always understand the humor in his lyrics.

"It's a specific type of humor that some people miss. For me it has to be ironic. I love the blues and I just don't think that there are good blues lyrics without irony."